Through The Thick And Thin
by OnceInALifetime
Summary: After the July 24th, 2009 episode, what did Luke and Noah do after their lovers spat/make up in Java? Contains spoilers for the 24-07-09 episode, and is a missing moment.


**Disclaimer – I don't own Luke, Noah or the apartment, so don't sue?**

**Warnings - None, except a possible death by fluff overload?****  
*****Notes - I know Friday's episode was a while back, but I finally got the time to write this! And I know I should be working on Spider Webs, but this plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone. **

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"Noah, come back to bed!" Luke called, stretching out on the bed. '_Not the bed, _**_our_**_ bed. In our apartment. Together._ The thought sent a warm, fuzzy feeling racing through Luke's veins, even though it had been over a week since they had moved in together. _Together._

Luke saw Noah come through the bedroom door, and barely had time to roll to the side of the bed before Noah jumped onto it. Laughing, Luke rolled on top of his boyfriend and gazed down at his radiant face.

"What was the Olympic dive all about?" Luke asked teasingly. Noah chose to flip them over and sprinkle Luke's face with kisses; his nose, his eyelids, his cheeks, and finally – _finally_ – his lips.

Luke indulged the kiss for long moments before reluctantly pulling back. "Noah," he murmured, punctuating the name with yet another slow kiss, "what's made you so happy?" Luke turned and pulled Noah with him so that they were lying on their sides with their heads propped up on their hands, elbows digging into the mattress.

"Do I need a reason?" Noah asked, his eyes burning so bright that Luke almost had to look away. Almost. Instead, Luke locked eyes with his lover and tried to remember the last time he had been so happy, so at peace. _I'm so happy._ The words brought back memories of sitting in Java, arguing about Luke's new job.

Noah must've noticed a change in Luke's expression because he reached out his free hand and cupped the side of Luke's face. "Luke, what's up?" Noah asked, the sparkle in his eyes fading as something more serious replaced it.

"It- it's nothing, Noah. Just a random thought." Luke leaned forward to kiss Noah, but was stopped as Noah rested two fingers on his lips.

"Luke, if I've learned anything over the years with you, it's that it's never nothing." Noah moved his hand back to the side of Luke's face, but let his thumb trace the outline of Luke's lips. "Come on, talk to me. You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I do know that Noah, I do." Luke tried to focus on his words instead of the feeling of Noah's gentle thumb swiping across the sensitive skin of his lips. The touch felt like molten fire, searing into him and causing his blood to flow south.

Noah's hand retreated, and Luke gave the tiniest whimper as a protest. Mortified, he tried to duck his head, but Noah's hand buried itself in his hair and cupped the back of his head, forcing his gaze to stay on Noah's. Letting his gaze travel Noah's face, Luke realized that his whimper had definitely bothered his boyfriend – in the good way. Noah's pupils were dilated and a flush was spreading across his face.

Luke brought his face so that his lips were millimeters away from Noah's. His voice dropped into the deep tones that he knew Noah loved so much as he asked, "Maybe we could… talk, later? I could think of other things we could do."

Watching Noah's eyes dart across Luke's face, always pausing on his lips, Luke let his eyes flutter shut as he moved forwards, expecting to feel the soft firmness of Noah's lips. Instead, he was met with air. _What?_

Noah had shifted backwards, putting just a few inches between him and Luke. Even though he could _tell_ that Noah wanted him by his lust-blackened eyes, parted lips and heavy breathing, Luke couldn't help but feel rejected.

"Oh," he muttered, his gaze on their new duvet, "sorry. Umm, I'll go get us something to drink?" Luke made to move off of the bed but was stopped by Noah's hand on his wrist.

"Luke, there is nothing more I want to do than jump you _right now_." Noah's voice was practically a growl, and Luke swallowed heavily as a shiver worked its way up his spine. "But I know you have something on your mind, so we need to talk."

"Do we have to? I mean, Noah, it's not a big deal." Luke knew he was whining, and hated himself for it, but he found that he couldn't help it. Even though he _did_ want to talk to Noah, there were more… pressing matter at hand.

"Yes, Luke." The growl in Noah's words had faded, although his voice was still several octaves lower than normal. "So, start talking."

"You'll think it's stupid." Luke muttered, looking at Noah's hand on his wrist. Luke's skin looked ivory against Noah's tan, the calloused skin of Noah's hand brushing against the soft skin of Luke's wrist.

Absentmindedly, Luke noted how they were such contrasts between the two of them; Luke was blonde, Noah brunette. Luke was the talker and rushed into things headfirst, while Noah was more subdued and thought his actions through. Luke found himself marveling at how their differences made them fit together, like two puzzle pieces with ragged edges that interlocked when pressed together.

"Sometime within the next century would be great." Noah teased, his hand carding through Luke's hair and bringing him back to reality.

"It's just…" Luke began, wetting his lips before continuing, "I wanted to apologize." The sentence hung in the air, and Noah's fingers paused their movements in Luke's hair as his expression melted into one of confusion.

"Apologize?" Noah asked slowly. "What do you have to apologize for?" There was a trace of fear in Noah's tone, and Luke cursed to himself as he realized how many different ways his statement could've been taken.

"No, Noah, it's nothing serious." Luke soothed, squeezing Noah's hand reassuringly. "I mean, it is, but it's not, and it doesn't even matter but I feel bad so I thought I'd mention it and god, when did I become a babbler?" The last sentence flew out of Luke's mouth, and he felt a familiar flush spread across his face and down his neck as Noah's lips turned upwards in a smirk.

Choosing not to answer Luke's question, Noah pulled Luke's face towards him and pressed a gentle kiss on the tip of his nose. The gesture should've felt awkward, but it didn't, and Luke found that he loved Noah all the more for it.

"But seriously, Luke - what's going on?" Noah murmured, his voice unintentionally hypnotic. "What do you have to be sorry for?"

"Remember when we were arguing at Java?" Luke asked , hating that he was bringing up what should've been a closed topic between the two of them, but he found that he couldn't help himself – if he wasn't honest, he knew that it would itch at him until he was.

"Luke, we sorted that out. We're fine, aren't we?" Noah asked, unconsciously withdrawing from Luke as he sat up and rested his back against the headboard.

"Of course we're fine Noah!" Luke exclaimed, scrambling to sit upright as well. Folding his legs under him, Luke sat adjacent from Noah's hip, his face just inches from his boyfriends. "I just said something that I need to apologize for.

"Noah," Luke said, "remember when you were talking to me about the plans we had made? And I told you that 'you've been so crazy busy, you won't even miss me?'" Seeing Noah's shoulders stiffen, Luke knew that he remembered all too clearly. That knowledge made him feel braver for some reason, and Luke continued. "I can't get the way you looked when I said that out of your mind – I felt like I hurt you, and I'm sorry for that Noah. I am, because the last thing I want to do is hurt you, ever. I love you and-" Luke forced himself to stop talking, realizing that he had to give Noah a chance to speak.

"Luke," Noah murmured, "it's okay; it's not a big deal."

"But it is Noah!" Luke cried, exasperated. "I hurt you and you just let it bounce of you like it's nothing. Why didn't you get more upset with me?" Luke knew that his argument seemed irrational, but he couldn't help it. The shock and pain that had been etched in Noah's loving eyes had hurt Luke far more than he'd allowed himself to admit.

"Because, Luke." Noah said, "I was feeling guilty! I mean, if you thought I hadn't been missing you, if you thought that I hadn't been thinking about you every fucking minute I was working with Mason on this project, then…" Noah's speech, which had started out so impassioned, faded into a whisper.

Luke barely remembered moving; one minute he was kneeling by Noah and the next he was straddling Noah's lap with his hands cupping his face. "Noah, Noah, Noah," he whispered, watching Noah's eyes slowly meet his. "God Noah, you've been amazing. I _know_ you miss me as much as I miss you, and I'm so sorry that I made you doubt my faith in you." Luke ached to hold Noah in his arms, but wanted to give Noah a chance to say whatever was on his mind first.

His boyfriend did not disappoint. "I never doubted you Luke – never." The fire in Noah's eyes led Luke to believe him. "Sometimes, I just… I feel like my dad's back and he's telling me that I'm not good enough, that I'll never be good enough. And then there's you, and Luke, you're amazing, and smart, and perfect and so damn beautiful that it almost hurts to look at you sometimes." Luke would've normally shrugged off the comment or complained about being 'beautiful', but the awe in Noah's tone caused him to swallow heavily and allow Noah to continue.

"And I just don't want my dad to be right, Luke." Noah whispered. "I thought I was over him and that we could just pretend he never existed, but he did come back. And I know that I should be over it, but sometimes it all feels new. So I'm sorry about that, Luke."

Absently, Luke wondered how the conversation could've turned from a disagreement at a coffee shop to Noah's father, but he didn't question it. Reaching down, Luke grabbed one of Noah's hands and brought it to chest level before cupping it in his hands. He pressed a soft kiss onto their entwined fingers, feeling a sense of wonder at how perfectly they fit together.

"Noah, there's _nothing_ for you to be sorry about." Luke didn't know if Noah would believe him, but he knew he had to try. "Your father, you loved him and he hurt you. And there's no time span on grief, no limit to how long you're allowed to hurt before you have to be better. And I would do anything to take back that comment at Java, Noah. I didn't mean a word of it, and I want you to know that you are so much more incredible than you give yourself credit for."

Luke wished he could express the feelings Noah brought him when they were simply in the same room together, the love that felt as if it would seep out of his very pores. He wished that he could explain to Noah that sometimes he worried that he was going to implode from the sheer happiness he felt his head was resting on Noah's chest in bed, the steady beat of his heart resonating in Luke's ear.

Instead, Luke used his free hand and slowly brought Noah's face to his own, brushing Noah's lips with a barely there kiss. The pressure was so fleeting that Luke wouldn't have known if Noah had even felt it if not for the slow sigh that his boyfriend released.

Luke pressed a kiss to each corner of Noah's mouth before returning to those lips, letting his tongue slip inside. There was nothing rushed about the way their lips glided against each other, only a sense of love so overwhelming that Luke thought he could die from it.

When they eventually pulled back, breathing softly, Luke laid on the bed and patted the mattress beside him. Catching the hint, Noah scooted down beside him and let Luke drape himself across his body: his leg hitched across Noah's thighs, his arm reaching across Noah's stomach and his head lying on Noah's chest, the top of his head brushing Noah's chin.

No words were spoken, but Luke knew that he needed to let the subject rest and just enjoy being with Noah. Smiling to himself, he rubbed his cheek against Noah's soft t-shirt, thinking that being happy with his lover was one thing he would never had trouble doing.

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**Let me know what you thought? All reviews are greatly appreciated! **


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